


A New Beginning

by mm_coconut



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-11
Updated: 2016-01-11
Packaged: 2018-05-13 03:30:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5692870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mm_coconut/pseuds/mm_coconut
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With sweat pouring off him and his teeth grit together so hard he could hear his jaw creak, Finn found himself hit with a sense of familiarity. This, at least, was the same as in the First Order: the benevolent sadism of health professionals.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A New Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Prompts from the [52 Weeks](http://smellectric.tumblr.com/post/136601783617) challenge. I’m combining [weeks 1 and 2](http://smellectric.tumblr.com/post/137035779767) for efficiency and because no one can stop me.

Finn’s new life as a hero of the Republic began when he opened his eyes in the base infirmary. He was met with Poe’s wide warm sunburst smile, an explosion of beeping from BB-8, and the news that he would be facing a type of New Republic torture program called “physiotherapy”.

“Our bacta tanks can only do so much,” Chod'kero explained. “The rest is up to you. So secure your adhesive undergarments! I’m increasing the gravity to twenty percent and you’re going to give me five more steps.” She pretended not to hear Finn’s outraged squawk while she adjusted the localized gravity controls with a jaunty two-tone hum.

With sweat pouring off him and his teeth grit together so hard he could hear his jaw creak, Finn found himself hit with a sense of familiarity. This, at least, was the same as in the First Order: the benevolent sadism of health professionals. The main difference, Finn thought, clutching at the hoverbars as Chod'kero nudged his feet further apart with a critical eye—the main difference was that physiotherapists weren’t part of an evil totalitarian regime—they were just profoundly, exuberantly mean.

“The meanest,” she agreed, helping an exhausted Finn ease himself into the mobile seat. “I saw your pilot Dameron for a shattered hip after a botched landing one time. I wouldn’t clear him to fly until he could climb in and out of an X-wing unassisted, thirty times in half an hour.” She smiled, as if it was a fond memory.

“ _She let me sit in my copilot seat and keep count!_ ” BB-8 crowed. “ _Thirty times! I am very good at empathetic moral support!_ ”

“Little one, I put you in the X-wing to keep Poe from tripping over you,” Chod'kero corrected. She gave BB-8’s antenna a tweak with one finger.

“Thirty?” Finn groaned, and felt his stomach drop. Now that he didn’t have a helmet, he dragged a hand down his sweaty face to hide his expression. Every muscle in his body was crying, and it was an effort to keep his head up. “I’m not going to be able to do that by the end of a week.”

“Who said I was going to let you go after only one week?” Chod'kero huffed. She started flipping through displays on her datapad until she found the information she wanted. She tapped it decisively. “No, no. It says here: you are in my gentle clutches for six weeks.”

Finn gaped up at her. His jaw worked soundlessly for a moment. “Are you serious?” he croaked.

Chod'kero patted the back of his hand consolingly but raised a dark blue eyebrow. “The First Order may have better tissue regeneration equipment, but even with the benefit of improved technology you would need a great deal of physio. At least a month to recover functionality from that kind of damage to a human spinal column—”

“No, I mean,” Finn interrupted. “You’re letting me have six weeks to get better?”

Her hand on his squeezed down suddenly, and Finn realized then how that must have sounded. Her startled look made him squirm, which hurt his back, so he forced himself to sit still.

“The First Order doesn’t have physio,” Finn muttered. Hunching his shoulders hurt, too. “Not for sanitation workers. Taking longer than a week to recover from injuries or illness is an unacceptable drain on resources.” He heard the rhythm of the First Order in his voice, and wished he hadn’t.

“But then,” Chod'kero tried, “what would…how would you have—”

“Cycled out an airlock, probably,” Finn said, trying to sound wry and cheerful, but it rang hollow and flat because it was the truth.

There was a moment of silence, followed by furious staticky beeping.

“ _No! That is faulty cost-benefit analysis!_ ” BB-8 hissed. “ _THEY are the unacceptable drain on resources!_ ”

“No one is allowed to push you out an airlock until I’m done with you,” Chod'kero agreed firmly, finding her voice again. “You’re going to meet all your functional mobility goals, whether it takes six weeks or six months.”

Finn choked back a laugh. “Thanks. This is…well, it had better not take six months.” Something occurred to him. “Wait, what are my functional mobility goals?”

Chod'kero tapped on her datapad again, but she recited from memory. “Given extra time for task completion, Finn will independently perform all personal hygiene tasks, walk unassisted for all distances, lift-and-carry thirty percent of his body weight, and run five laps on pavement around the airfield at the end of six weeks.”

“WHAT,” Finn screeched.

“ _Oof_ ,” BB-8 whispered.

Chod'kero smiled angelically. “Before she left, your friend Rey was the person who knew the most about your physical capabilities. I’m just working on returning you to baseline based on the information she gave me.” She chucked Finn gently under his chin to make him close his mouth. “She believed you would rise to the challenge.”

“ _I believe in you too!_ ” BB-8 said. It started to roll out of the physio room, and Finn’s chair pivoted around to follow it. “ _I will count out your laps while you run!_ ” BB-8 declared. Its head rotated around on its axis to look at Finn, and it bumped into the chair and knocked it slightly off-course in its eagerness. “ _I am very good at empathetic moral support!_ ”

“We begin again tomorrow!” Chod'kero called out after them, too cheerful by half and possibly evil after all.

**Author's Note:**

>  **EPILOGUE:** #finn meets his goals at five weeks #but his PT keeps him for another week so she can make him jump in and out of an x-wing too #poe brings snacks and helps bb-8 keep count


End file.
